IRON MAIDEN (UK) - Live At Donington (2 CD, EMI, 1993)

RATING: ****

In a sense, every live album from Iron Maiden since "Live After Death" is an exercise in redundance: no matter how good some of such releases turned out to be (and some of them are actually pretty bloody good), the fact is the band's ultimate live document, with the definitive line-up and all that, had already made its way to every self-respecting heavy metal fan's collection worldwide - and how can you expect to leave an even stronger impression when your definitive statement had already been made? To their credit, they never tried to sell the "Live at Donington" package as something to rival "Live After Death" in terms of relevance - the original release actually been presented and advertised as something of an official bootleg, two CDs housed in a fat box with tracklist, a few production details and not much else. Though recorded during their high profile appearance at 1992's Castle Donnington festival, Iron Maiden clearly didn't wanted to make such a big deal of the album's release - a stance in keeping with the more straighforward, back-on-the-streets approach explored since 1990's "No Prayer for the Dying", and also understandable in terms of business, as both "A Real Live One" and "A Real Dead One" had been released only a few months previously - in the case of the latter, actually, a mere 21 days back (I kid you not).

Now, I don't want to pretend this is something of an underrated classic or anything, but I have no doubt this is actually way better than the two live albums that preceded it, and perhaps one of the most enjoyable on-stage recordings from Iron Maiden's entire discography! For starters, it's clear for all to hear that the band sure delivered a powerful performance that night - something that, to be point-blank honest, wasn't really a usual occurrence during the truly confusing, often very tense days of 1992-1993. I'm sure the prospect of playing such a high-profile gig in their homeland, in front of nearly 80.000 fans, was more than enough for the band members to call a truce and focus all their collective abilities into delivering a strong performance, which was clearly the case that night. The instrumentation is muscular and tight, Bruce Dickinson signs quite well throughout, and everything flows remarkably well from start to end: nothing seems to drag along or overstay its welcome (even "Bring Your Daughter... To the Slaughter", a song that hardly ever works out fine in the live environment IMO, sounds pretty decent around here), and you'll hardly notice that nearly two hours had passed when the album is over, believe me on that. And there's even a (barely noticeable, to be honest) appearance from Adrian Smith himself, this being the (often forgotten) very first time the six-piece line-up we're all used to ever graced a stage, which surely adds a bit of curiosity value to the whole thing.

The setlist brings a good mix of old and new, including only the very best tunes from "Fear of the Dark" in such a way that it doesn't sound at all out of place among the undisputed classics from the past. The opening with "Be Quick or Be Dead" is actually one of the least impressive moments from the whole set - granted, they get away with it well enough, but it seems to me they never felt really comfortable playing such a phisically demanding song live - but things quickly recover with "The Number of the Beast", and it's all top notch from this point onwards. In fact, songs like "Tailgunner" and "Heaven Can Wait" greatly benefit from the live environment, sounding way more engaging than its studio incarnations. The decision to privilege shorter, punchier songs in the setlist also works remarkably well; in fact, if one had only this live record as evidence, would probably be inclined to conclude that Maiden were ready to remain strong well through the 90s, as this gritty edge sure had its place among the Painkillers and Cowboys From Hell from that era.

I personally tend to think that the most important quality a live record needs to offer is to sound like the real deal - I mean, it has to make a listener feel like being there. It doesn't really matter if it's full of overdubs or not, you know: albums like "Unleashed in the East" and "Live and Dangerous" are mostly re-recorded in a studio, but still they sound right, as they create the illusion one wants to feel when listening to a live record - something that many real-to-reel recordings simply doesn't capture to any enjoyable extent. It's hard to define, really: when it's there, you know it, and that's all. "Live After Death" has it in spades; "Live at Donington" may not be as bombastic, but it sure does have a fair bit of real live fire within its grooves. A good one to have in your collection to kick off a saturday evening, I'd say. And don't be too disheartened if you can't locate a copy from the 1st edition (or if you don't feel like paying good money on such a spartan package), as the 1998 reissue looks quite nice (with the original artwork from the festival's poster) and is improved by a remastered sound and some interesting multimedia material in the enhanced CD version.

As we all know by now, Bruce Dickinson's departure would be quite a traumatic one (his very poor performances during most of the 1993's European tour sure having a lot to do with that), and there was no love lost between the singer and the rest of the band when the final stand took place on August 28, 1993 - a special performance on Pinewood Studios, London that would be broadcast live on pay-per-view and later become the "Raising Hell" video from 1994. It's a fun watch if you're a fan, though far from being a particularly passionate delivery, and the tongue-in-cheek magic tricks (such as "amputating" Dave Murray's hands and "executing" Bruce in an iron maiden torture device), though cheesy as hell, are amusing enough to make for good entertainment. Whatever the case, I guess you'll excuse me for not writing a review, as it never received any audio-only treatment (and understandably so, as it was all tailored for TV in the first place), and this small corner of the internet is meant for discography-related releases only. Anyway, when it was over, it was clearly over - with some heavy words said by Nicko McBrain and Steve Harris giving strong indication that hell would have to freeze over in order for Bruce to be readmited. We all know how it turned out to be less than a decade later, but let's not rush things...

Bruce Dickinson (V), Dave Murray (G), Janick Gers (G), Steve Harris (B), Nicko McBrain (D). Guest appearance: Adrian Smith (G).

01. Be Quick or Be Dead (Dickinson/Gers) 3:53
02. The Number of the Beast (Harris) 4:53
03. Wrathchild (Harris) 2:54
04. From Here to Eternity (Harris) 4:44
05. Can I Play With Madness (Smith/Dickinson/Harris) 3:33
06. Wasting Love (Dickinson/Gers) 5:36
07. Tailgunner (Harris/Dickinson) 4:07
08. The Evil that Men Do (Smith/Dickinson/Harris) 7:51
09. Afraid to Shoot Strangers (Harris) 6:59
10. Fear of the Dark (Harris) 7:08
11. Bring Your Daughter... To the Slaughter (Dickinson) 6:12
12. The Clairvoyant (Harris) 4:21
13. Heaven Can Wait (Harris) 7:20
14. Run to the Hills (Harris) 4:16
15. 2 Minutes to Midnight (Smith/Dickinson) 5:42
16. Iron Maiden (Harris) 8:14
17. Hallowed Be Thy Name (Harris) 7:27
18. The Trooper (Harris) 3:52
19. Sanctuary (Harris/Murray/Di'Anno) 5:18
20. Running Free (Harris/Di'Anno) 7:56

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know! 

IRON MAIDEN (UK) - A Real Live One (LP, EMI, 1993) plus A Real Dead One (LP, EMI, 1993)

RATING: ***

I guess a bit of clarification is needed here. Though the "A Real Live Dead One" have been showcased as one live package since the late 1990's, the fact is that these recordings originally came out as two different sets, "A Real Live One" (released in March 1993) and "A Real Dead One" (October 1993) - and it's actually very relevant to bear them in mind as sepparate entities, as the "Dead" part contain songs from the infamous 1993's 'farewell tour' with Bruce Dickinson, while the "Live" album has only tracks that were recorded during the jaunts to promote "Fear of the Dark". Still (and I know it may sound contradictory), I don't see much of a point on reviewing the two parts sepparately, as they were meant to exist together pretty much from the start, as a two-album set rather than your usual double CD, and it would be hopelessly pedantic to pretend we're back in 1993, when you didn't knew what was coming for you and had to wait seven frickin' months to get the other one. Let's just write a single review for both records, then - if anything, it will allow us to get through this (to be frank) pretty mediocre batch of songs all too sooner, so we can focus our attentions on more pleasant-looking pastures.

Not that the "A Real Live Dead One" is devoid of interesting features, mind you. Historically speaking, it illustrates a very important period of the band: the departure of Bruce Dickinson, made known to the public in the early days of 1993. It was a long time coming in a sense, though the metal community would be taken by surprise nonetheless; in later interviews, Bruce would describe his increasing feeling of alienation and creative disconnection with the whole thing. The split was meant to be peaceful at first, and the fulfillment of some final European dates in the summer of '93 should have had a more light-hearted, good-humored outlook, something like a last hurrah for the much-loved vocalist - but that's not how it turned out to be, as we all know: the whole tour gone south very quickly, with bitter accusations that Bruce was deliberately under-performing at several concerts, saving his best performance for the high-profile dates. Bruce was always adamant that it wasn't the case, his lack of enthusiasm being a reaction to the bad vibes around the tour - but I did hear some bootlegs from the period, and his singing needed some serious improvement in order to reach sub-par status, if you know what I mean. 

None of this truly dreadful performances made its way into this particular package, fortunately, but trained ears can easily detect the dwindling enthusiasm between the grooves - and I don't mean just vocally, you see. It's nice to have the chance to hear live renditions of tracks such as "Prowler", "Remember Tomorrow", "Where Eagles Dare" and "Transylvania" (some nuggets offered by "A Real Dead One" that seldom, if ever, made way into the band repertoires ever since), but none are carried along with any great degree of enthusiasm, unfortunately - something that sure has a lot to do with Bruce Dickinson uninspired singing, but is also noticeable in the surprisingly loose, restrained instrumentation. I suppose it's understandable that a bad atmosphere and a crumbling line-up will result in less-than-memorable performances, but the wisdom of using such recordings for a live release can be seriously called into question. More common inclusions such as "The Number of the Beast" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" have nothing too spectacular going on either (though I actually like this particular rendition of "2 Minutes to Midnight" quite a lot), so I think it's safe to conclude that "A Real Dead One" is one for Maiden fanatics, being of little real benefit for anyone less obsessed about the band. 

Curiously, though comprising only tracks from the 1986-1992 period, "A Real Live One" is actually way more worthy a listen than its rather lackluster (though initially promising) counterpart. There's nothing truly remarkable going on, mind you, but it's interesting to hear tracks such as "Tailgunner", "From Here to Eternity", "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" and "Wasting Love" faring pretty well in the live environment, the entire band seeming a way more interested (and interesting) unit during those tracks (it's no surprise most of these were recorded early in the tour supporting "Fear of the Dark"). There's a sense of coherence and intention around "A Real Live One" that is sorely missing on its "Dead" twin, the former sounding more like an album rather than a haphazard compilation of live recordings. I would surely have enjoyed a few different tracks around here ("Wasted Years" is a glaring absence, and "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" just drags along without any perceivable merit), but it's all pretty decent overall, and I'm sure most fans will be listening to CD 2 way more often than CD 1 (not that any of it will be spinning on your turntable on a daily basis, but I'm sure you'd catch my drift).

Both "A Real Live One" and "A Real Dead One" sold well enough at the time, and I guess the whole project served its purpose both as a souvenir of the period and a way to keep things going while assessing the difficult task of finding a substitute for Bruce Dickinson. I wouldn't say the discs sound dated nowadays or anything, but it's clear for me that "A Real Live Dead One" is a product of its time, so deeply connected with the events surrounding it that it's almost impossible to remove it from its context while giving it a listen. I don't think you really need it, but it's OK to have it if you have the chance, and you may even enjoy listening to it from time to time. Just don't overestimate it, and you'll be fine. 

Bruce Dickinson (V), Dave Murray (G), Janick Gers (G), Steve Harris (B), Nicko McBrain (D).

A Real Live One (CD 2 of 'A Real Live Dead One')

01. Be Quick Or Be Dead (Dickinson, Gers) 3:15
02. From Here to Eternity (Harris) 4:19
03. Can I Play With Madness (Smith, Dickinson, Harris) 4:42
04. Wasting Love (Dickinson, Gers) 5:47
05. Tailgunner (Harris, Dickinson) 4:09
06. The Evil that Men Do (Smith, Dickinson, Harris) 5:25
07. Afraid to Shoot Strangers (Harris) 6:47
08. Bring Your Daughter... To the Slaughter (Dickinson) 5:17
09. Heaven Can Wait (Harris) 7:28
10. The Clairvoyant (Harris) 4:29
11. Fear of the Dark (Harris) 7:11

A Real Dead One (CD 1 of 'A Real Live Dead One')

01. The Number of the Beast (Harris) 4:54
02. The Trooper (Harris) 3:55
03. Prowler (Harris) 4:15
04. Transylvania (Harris) 4:25
05. Remember Tomorrow (Harris, Di'Anno) 5:52
06. Where Eagles Dare (Harris) 4:49
07. Sanctuary (Harris, Murray, Di'Anno) 4:53
08. Running Free (Harris, Di'Anno) 3:48
09. Run to the Hills (Harris) 3:57
10. 2 Minutes to Midnight (Smith, Dickinson) 5:37
11. Iron Maiden (Harris) 5:24
12. Hallowed Be Thy Name (Harris) 7:51

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know!